Improvement in meters



V. FOGERTY.

vlmprc/ed Meter and Motor.

Patented Dec. 19, i871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALENTINE FOGERTY, OF BOSTON HIGHLANDS, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN METERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,937, dated December 19, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALENTINE FOGEETY, of Boston Highlands, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Hydraulic Meter and Motor 5 and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this speciiication, is a description of my invention sufiicient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

My invention relates to an improved con struction of water-meters and motors or engines, and to that class of such engines as employs a main cylinder and a reciprocating` piston, with waterports or passages at the respective ends of the cylinder', and mechanism by which the water is made to alternately enter the opposite ends of the cylinder through such ports and alternately exhaust or iiow out therefrom.

In my invention I dispense with the numerous ports employed in almost all if not quite all of such meters, using only an inlet and an outlet opening into tivo auxiliary cylinders, which auxiliary cylinders open into the two main cylinderports, the inlet and outlet opening into the auxiliary cylinders midway of their length, and there being at the center of each auxiliary cylinder a piston-valve, which alternately closes entrance into or exit from the cylinder on each side of it.

My invention consists primarily in combining with a main cylinder, having an inlet and exhaust port at each end oi' it, two auxiliary valve or piston cylinders, located directly over and parallel to the main cylinder, one of said auxiliary cylinders having opening into it the inlet, and the other having opening from it the outlet, there being in the induction-cylinder at the opening thereinto a piston-valve, which, by a reciprocatin g movement, closes, lirst, an entrance into one end of the cylinder, and opens an entrance into the opposite end thereof, and next, vice versa, opens an entrance into the iirst end and closes the entrance into the opposite end, the piston in the eduction cylinder similarly closing the outlet from one part of the cylinder an d opening the outlet from the other part thereof.

The drawing represents a meter embodying the invention. A shows a sectional plan through the center of the induction and eduction cylinders. B is an end view. C is a longitudinal central section of the main cylinder. D is a crosssection of the meter. E shows the inner side of one of the caps.

a denotes the main cylinder; b, the piston thereof. c (l denote the induction and eduction cylinders. The cylinders a, c, and d are made as one casting, and are covered at their opposite ends by two heads or cap-plates, c f. Leading into the cylinder c is an inlet-tube or pipe, c1, and leading from the vcylinder d is a similar outlet-tube or pipe, (1,1,the two tubes cl d1 being portions ot` or couplings to the main pipe, with which the meter is in connection, and preferably opening into the cylinders at points about midway between the opposite ends thereof, as seen at A. In the induction-cylinder c, and against or opposite to the induction-opening g thereof, is a piston-valve, h, and a similar valve, t', occupies a similar position with relation to the eductionv opening k in the eduction-cylinder d, each pistonvalve being of the diameter of the cylinder, and having provision for play in the cylinder across the opening, so as alternately to open and close the connection of the inlet-passage with the opposite parts or chambers of the cylinder, the movement of the piston in either direction closing communication between the water-inlet or outlet passage and the part of the cylinder at one end of the piston, and opening communication between said passage and the part of the cylinder at the opposite end of the piston. For illustration, these respective parts may be called chambers I m, denoting the induction-chambers, and n o the eduction-chambers. At the outer end of each chamber is a port, p or q, connecting the chamber with the main cylinder, the two ports p p being in effect one, and the two ports q q one, the partition that separates them being simply a bearing for a pivot, fr. On each side of each piston is an axial stem or rod, r, which connects the piston to one arm of a rocker-beam or Jever, s or t, (pivoted, as seen, at 00,) the four stems r, and two rocker-beams, s t, making a connection between the pistons, as seen at A. The connection between the pistons may be made by one beam and two stems; but the double connection shown is preferred. By the connections it will be seen that the two valves or pistons h z' move simultaneously, and that the movement of one is contingent upon the movement of the other. Each valve, at the end of its stroke in either direction, strikes against a suitable seat in the cylinder to close the adjacent chamber, and such seats are preferably made by inserting a tube, u, into each chamber, the inner end of the tube forming the valve-seat. To regulate the length of stroke of the pistons these tubes may be lnade adjustable, each having an external screw-thread working in a nut-thread cut in the inner surface of the piston-cylinder. By means of projections r at the outer ends ot' each tube the tube may be turned by using a suitable key or Wrench to adjust the valve-seats or to f bring them into proper and accurate relative pol sition. When the main piston reaches the end of the cylinder, it comes under the ports p o1' q, and closes them; but the connection between each eduction-chamber and the main-cylinder chamber is kept up by a port. ze, through the i flange of each cap.

The operation of the meter is as follows: Supl pose the pistons to be in the position shown at A. Tater will then pass through the inductionopening g by one end of the piston L into chamber Z, around into chamber 11, and from the chami bers l u through the port p into the main-cylini der chamber, forcing the main piston toward the end 2 of its cylinder. When the piston has arrived at the end of its stroke the water in front f of it is all pressed out from the main-cylinder through the main-cylinder port q, cap port er, I eduction-chamber o, and inlet d1, the water in f the eduction-chamber having no obstruction to its free outward passage. But the water in the opposite inlet-cylinder m has nooutlet, (the pressure of the main piston keeping it charged,) and when the piston is reaching the end of its stroke the pressure upon the water in chamber m is exerted upon the piston-head c2, closing the induction end of the cylinder I. The pressure of the l inlet water upon the two piston-heads n? b2 is I equal or nearly so, but the additional pressure upon the piston-head e2 (which the piston-head d2 does not have) starts the piston c2 from its i seat, when the water will rush into the chamber i m, the opposite chambers l n being full, reversing the pistons h i, closing cylinder Ito entrance of water and cylinder o to the escape of water. i From the chambers m o the induction water passes through the port q into the main cylinder, driving the piston back to its first position, and f l driving the water upon the opposite side of the piston out through the chamber n, and, reaching the end of its stroke, the water in the cylinder l is i pressed against the piston-head a2, starting it from its seat, and again reversing the pistons as before, the. meter continuing thus automatically and intermittently to receive water into and discharge it from the opposite ends ofthe main cyl- 1 inder. 1 The pivot e2, at each end of the eduction-cyl- L inder, may extend down into the main cylinder, as seen at B, in such position that the piston will strike it and reverse or aid in reversing the valvecylinder pistons. The entrance to the inlet or i outlet may be partially covered by a plate, y, to prevent lateral pressure upon the pistons.

The meter may be made with two valve-seat tubes, u, instead of four. The rocker-beams s may be hung a little out of center to effect the shifting or reversing ofthe pistons; or the valveseat tubes may be made of differential bores to vary the extent of pressure surface upon the pistons to eii'ect the change of the pistons. To make the main piston solid and at the same time render it light it may be made as a shell or tube, filled with cork z, the cork insuring lightness, and also answering as an elastic bunter to lessen the concussions of the piston.

Movement is communicated from the maincylinder piston to the register mechanism by means of a register-pin, f2, which is attached to and held normally in position by a rubber spring, 1/2, the pin being forced outward slightly and positively by the contact ofthe piston b, and retreating by the stress of the spring. To pack the pin and yet permit its free movement the pin is made with a nut-piece, h2, which is screwed down upon a screw, i?, and fastens the spring at its center between the end of the nut and the end ofthe pin. Then at its outer edge the spring is fastened by and between a nut, k2, and the head e, leaving the spring and pin free to move, but packing them so that water cannot exude by the pin or spring.

l claim- 1. ln combination with the main cylinder and its two induction and eduction ports at its opposite ends, the auxiliary and parallel induction and eduction cylinders, each having a reciproeating piston in Ime with the inlet or outlet of the cylinder, and each piston being arranged to operate at each movement as a valve to close entrance into one chamber of the induction or eduction cylinder, and open entrance to the other chamber thereof, substantially as described.

2. ln combination with the auxiliary induction and eduction cylinders, the valve-seat tubes u, substantially' as described.

3. In combination with the induction and eduction cylinders, valve-seat tubes u, made adjustable, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the induction and eduction cylinders and main cylinder a and the ports p q thereof, the cap-ports zo, each communicating with the adjacent eduction-cyliiuler, substantially as described.

5. The combination ot' the pistons l1 fi, stems or rods r, and levers or rocker-beams s t, arranged and operating substantially as shown and described.

(i. The register-pin f2, ext-ending through the main cylinder-head when packed, substantially as shown and described.

Executed this 26th day of August, A. D. 1871.

VALENTINE FOGERTY.

Witnesses:

FRANcis GOL'LD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. (167) 

